The local arm of the Urban Land Institute last night honored eight projects of different stripes with 2011 Excellence in Development Awards. Here's a snapshot of the winners, along with a snippet of commentary from the three-judge panel. Images of the first four are above, the second four below.

12th and Paris — "The absolute right fit with the fabric of its urban neighborhood"

1700 Midtown — "Unique creative design solution to an infrastructure challenge"

Franklin Police headquarters — "Used every cost-effective and cost-efficient tool of sustainable architecture"

Hotel Indigo — "Outside-the-box design"

Piedmont Natural Gas operations center — "Use of green building techniques are exemplary"

The Sawtooth Building — "Perfect example of how a user shapes the architecture and how the architecture is a reflection of the user"

Terrazzo — "Real pioneer in green building in a downtown for mixed use"

Westhaven — "A livable community with highest architecture and design aesthetics"

View the ULI's full release here.